The day after

Yesterday afternoon in the newsroom we received a single line of text over the computer: "small plane down in Hudson River." I went on to the website of the FDNY Manhattan fire radio frequency and heard the dispatcher send Rescue One to the same cross street as the Air Craft Carrier Intrepid. We then heard him say the words, "we have a commercial aircraft in the water." With that, I grabbed my earpiece and headed to the studio.

The most positive sight amid the confusion in the water was yellow: I realized the specks of yellow that I could see on the long-distance shot of the people around the plane -- was the yellow of their life vests. That sight meant: passengers, alive, after a commercial jet had gone down in the Hudson River. Remarkable.

Luckily, on Friday nights here, we have a segment (popular with a number of you) called "Making a Difference." Tonight, the pilot everyone knows as "Sully" is our nominee. If you were going to choose one pilot to be on duty at the controls of that jet yesterday, he'd be the guy. All those souls on board are alive today because of his actions. What a 24 hours this City has been through -- and now we prepare to travel to Washington for the Inauguration. We'll see you from there, starting on Monday. Have a good weekend, and thank you for watching and being with us for another week.